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Trip Report BVI Cruise/St. John #75127
11/15/2015 02:43 AM
11/15/2015 02:43 AM
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2
G
GoVols Offline OP
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GoVols  Offline OP
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2
Trip Report BVI Cruise/St. John

I couldn't figure out how to post in the trip report forum due to being Read Only.. Sorry if this is in the wrong place!

Just my husband and I, mid fifties from Middle Tennessee. Flights with American were on time! We made the 2:00 ferry from St. Thomas to Roadtown. We had frozen meat in a cooler and it was no problem with customs at all. We were picked up by Sabastians and were taken to Riteway to collect our provisions. Then we enjoyed the rest of our drive to Hodges Creek where we spent the night on our boat before leaving out the next morning.

This was our first time chartering so everything was a little overwhelming. Bentley with Marinemax was phenomenal welcoming us, giving us an initial tour and making sure we had everything we needed. Marinemax better hang on to that guy. On the other hand, Kevin who gave us our boat briefing, was very impatient and became very annoyed when we asked questions. It was our first time chartering and we wanted to be clear on all aspects so we had a few questions. If you are a first time charterer with Marinemax, ask for anyone other than Kevin. I’m sure he would be fine with more experienced charterers. After the boat briefing, Bentley sat with us and reviewed our desired itinerary and gave us some pointers. After that, we set sail.

Our first stop was at Marina Cay. We walked to the top of the island for the beautiful view. We caught the free ferry to Trellis Bay and had dinner at the Loose Mongoose. I wouldn’t recommend the food but the Bushwackers were awesome.

The next morning, we had bagels and smoked salmon. Very easy to fix and a treat. We then set sail for the Baths hoping that the flag was yellow and that a day mooring was available. We were indeed so lucky. We sat staring at the awesomeness of the boulder field for at least an hour before taking the dinghy to the tie off and snorkeling around. We hiked the trail and had a beer at the bar on the other side. It was glorious. Back to the boat and we headed for North Sound.

I believe that from the water, Virgin Gorda is the most beautiful of the British Virgin Islands. With channel markers in site, we cruised in to the Sound and after some deliberation, choose to moor at Saba Rock. We grilled steaks for dinner and my husband enjoyed jumping off the top of the boat.

Sunday morning, after having breakfast on the boat, we dinghied over to Bitter End and watched the kite boarders. Bitter End is a beautiful resort and everyone was so nice to us. I would love to stay there.

Back to the boat where we loaded up with free water and ice from Saba Rock and headed out on our longest sail to Cane Garden Bay. It took about two and a half hours. We caught a mooring to the farthest left just in case the north swell was to make an early appearance. When we tried to start the generator we had trouble. My husband who is a mechanical engineer and very handy in these situations had no luck. We called Marinemax and they sent a tech out to help. It took about 3 hours but between the two of them, they got it started. We had dinner at Myetts which had live music and a fun crowd. The food was just ok.

The next morning, we motored over to Diamond Cay to visit the bubbly pool and Foxy’s Taboo. The bubbly pool was not very bubbly but Foxy’s Taboo had awesome t-shirts.

We cast off from Diamond Cay to head around the corner to Great Harbour to moor for the night. The generator again would not work. A call to Marinemax and they came to the rescue again, this time with two techs. It took most of the afternoon to fix it but by dinner time we had power again.

After dinner, we went to Foxy’s and discussed the state of politics with the man himself. We have decided that Foxy should run for President.

We had breakfast on the boat on the fourth day of our voyage, then we dinghied over to White Bay for the recommended morning Painkiller. I was surprised at how crowded it was that early and on a Tuesday. So we bypassed Soggy Dollar and walked down the beach to One Love. The water was simply gorgeous.

Back to the boat for our morning destination of Souper’s Hole to fuel up. The crossing was very choppy so it was ride em cowboy til we got to the cut. I was surprised at how narrow the cut actually is and I was a little nervous but no problem on the depth finder. My husband did an amazing job docking in such tight quarters. While he managed the fuel, I hopped off to go in hunt of souvenirs. Fuel cost was $275. We left Soupers and headed for the Indians. Not a boat in site for such a pretty day. My husband didn’t snorkel long though. The Caves awaited. There were a few boats there and we got the last mooring ball. Many small fish but one to many jelly fish for me. So I watched as my husband braved the depths of the caves.

We decided to try Pirates for dinner so we moored in The Bight instead of Kelly’s Cove as planned. We should have stuck with the original plan. It was the most overpriced, bad service and terrible food I have had in the Caribbean. It was our last night on the boat and I have to say, I was looking forward to the next phase of our trip much more than I thought I would. Before casting off to head back to Hodges Creek the next morning, I packed all our bags and had them laying on the back deck. It reminded me of the last night before a cruise ship cruise ends. Pack your bags and leave them by the door. In no time at all we were hailing Marinemax to come pick us up at the opening of the Hodges Creek channel. Check out was easy I suppose.. I hopped off the boat to use the bathroom and when I got back, my husband was waiting for our cab back to the ferry.

A few thoughts about the BVI and a bareboat charter. There is a lot of work and stress involved. You have to have a basic understanding of how boats work and A/C power vs. 110 volts etc. You have to be vigilant at all times underway, checking depths and headings and the weather and viewing by binoculars for other sailors. There is always a problem of some sort and it seemed like we were constantly troubleshooting things. I loved the experience but it was work and stress. Concerning the BVI, It is absolutely beautiful. But somebody needs to give a blanket seminar on how to be nice! Bentley and the people at the Bitter End were the only people who made us feel welcome. Most people were plainly rude. My mom told me that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything. But good grief BVI, just TRY being pleasant. You will find it’s way easier than being snippy and rude, especially to visitors of your country.

St. John

Fifth trip for me and fourth for my husband. We caught the noon ferry out of West End to Cruz Bay. We stepped onto St. John about 12:30, secured our rental Jeep from L & L and headed to St. John Market for our villa provisions. I think they have the best selection and prices for everything you need for staying at a villa. After loading up on ice, water and food, we headed to the Morovian Church in Coral Bay to meet Jane with James Miller Villas who would escort us to our villa. We have stayed at some pretty remote places before so “interesting” driveways were not out of the ordinary for us. The drive to our villa was basically vertical. I was ok till I saw the cement truck laying on it’s side halfway down the mountain side. Interesting to say the least.

We have stayed twice on Bordeaux Mountain and once on Contant Point. I was hopeful that our villa would have at least an equal view of our previous stays. I was ecstatic when I saw our view from Calabash Boom! It was the prettiest down island view I have seen and we were so pleased. The amenities were more than we needed and we were very happy with our choice. Jane was wonderful showing us everything and answering questions. I immediately jumped in the pool and my husband relaxed with his long awaited Virgin Island Mango Beer. We ate dinner in and soaked up the aura of Coral Bay.

First beach on the list was Vie’s. This beach is one of my favorites partly due to the treat of conch fritters that accompany it. I was so looking forward to it. When we arrived, Miss Vie informed us that she no longer serves conch fritters or garlic chicken but she would be happy to sell us a bowl of rice and beans with meat sauce for $10. WHAT?!?! Thats like McDonalds no longer selling french fries! Nothing special at all about the rice and beans.. I can make that at home. Anyway, the beach was wonderful. We stopped by Skinny Legs to pick up our obligatory Coral Bay t-shirt.

Next beach was my all time favorite, Little Lameshur. Only one other car in the parking lot. The sun was not out so the snorkel to Yawzee Point wasn’t very remarkable. We blew up our floaties and enjoyed our Mango beers. Dinner was at the villa with the ridiculous view.

Villa gravity was very strong every morning so it was the afternoon before we ventured off of our glorious mountainside. We headed to Cinnamon having been there only once before. It’s an amazing beach on the north side but it was somewhat crowded so we didn’t stay long. We moved down the road to Frances Bay, bypassing Maho which looked like Myrtle Beach with the crowd. I remember back in 1989 riding a horse into the water at Maho Beach. My how things have changed! Frances wasn’t nearly as crowded, but the water was cloudy with what looked like tiny tufts of cotton floating in the deeper water. We did see two stingrays either fighting or performing some “other” activity so we left them to their privacy. We stayed until just before the no see um alarm went off. We stopped for dinner at Aqua Bistro where the live music was excellent.

The next morning we hiked further up the drive to our villa. If it is even possible, the view got better especially where the “For Sale” sign was. My husband wrote the number down. Maybe a future Christmas present? Not likely. But a girl can always hope. Our last beach was Gibney. I don’t know how we lucked out, but no one was there past the cottages. It was stunning. The sun was out and the recent rains had greened everything beautifully. Someone is building a huge villa just beyond the giant rock on the hill. It must be Kenny’s new villa. But I say that about all the new villas. We had a wonderful time just being there. We left once again before the NSUA (No See Um Alarm) and headed into town where we had dinner at Virgin Fire in Mongoose Junction. The food was the best of our trip and John our waiter was remarkable. He could not do enough for us. He was more than half of our experience there. Great guy! We had the crab cake and coconut shrimp to start (half price apps at happy hour), my husband had the club sandwich and I had the fish tacos. Quite good and reasonably priced!

The next morning, I prepared to leave my new happy place, taking one last look to fortify myself for the “walk of woe.” My husband dropped me off at the Beginning of Sorrows and went to turn in the jeep, then met me at High Tide where I drowned myself in conch fritters. High Tide now carries the crown for the fried delicacy in my book. We took the Varlack Ferry straight to Charlotte Amalie. We stored our luggage with one of the cabs, then walked the streets of St. Thomas and had a late lunch at Gladys’s. It was a cool place (literally with a/c) where Gladys herself sang Frank Sanatra tunes behind the bar with the stereo. We had $3 screw drivers and chicken roti’s to help ease our pain of the impending appointment down the road at the airport. Our flight was on time and we made it back to Nashville by midnight.

Thanks to all for advice and knowledge about the Virgin Islands. It was invaluable in planning this trip!

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Re: Trip Report BVI Cruise/St. John [Re: GoVols] #75128
11/15/2015 06:35 AM
11/15/2015 06:35 AM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,151
Ontario, Canada
warren460 Offline
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warren460  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,151
Ontario, Canada
It's interesting how people can visit the same place and have such different experiences.

Our experience is that most people are very pleasant down here.

Last night We had a nice dinner and good food at pirates.

Running a boat comes with responsibility for boat and crew safety.

Perhaps it's not for everyone.

For me, I can't think of a nicer place or better activity to spend time.


Warren S/V Scuba Doo
Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show).

https://www.cyabrochure.com/ebn/2307/pdyrX/6642/4///
Re: Trip Report BVI Cruise/St. John [Re: warren460] #75129
11/15/2015 09:51 AM
11/15/2015 09:51 AM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,040
Charlotte, NC
N
NCSailor Offline
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NCSailor  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,040
Charlotte, NC
Boating and chartering is not for everyone. My wife tolerates the inconveniences because of the beauty of the islands. I don't find it inconvenient. I have met many people from all walks of life that have chartered in the islands. The set of people that have chartered more than once is much, much smaller.

Re: Trip Report BVI Cruise/St. John [Re: warren460] #75130
11/15/2015 10:04 AM
11/15/2015 10:04 AM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,676
An island state of mind
tradewinds Online content
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tradewinds  Online Content
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,676
An island state of mind
Some of our best friends are BVI & USVI locals, hence the reason we go there 5-6 times a year. You missed the best part of North Sound, which is Leverick Bay.

Re: Trip Report BVI Cruise/St. John [Re: tradewinds] #75131
11/15/2015 05:01 PM
11/15/2015 05:01 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,347
USVI
LocalSailor Offline
Traveler
LocalSailor  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,347
USVI
The villa you saw is not Mr. Chesney but these guys and it has violated many STJ and NPS regulations.

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story...ds-home-article

Re: Trip Report BVI Cruise/St. John [Re: GoVols] #75132
11/15/2015 05:25 PM
11/15/2015 05:25 PM
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 922
Virginia
C
charlie Offline
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charlie  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 922
Virginia
Nice trip, wish I were there. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> We stopped chartering a few years back and now pretty much stay for a couple of weeks on Virgin Gorda. One thing I learned from the owner of the charter company we used was greet everyone with a "hello how are you today" greeting to break the ice. We have had people be really nice to us for saying that first thing, and had the same people be rude to people next to us for not saying that. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> Next time you charter out of the BVI stay at Leverick and rent a car. Explore VG, it is fun. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />

Re: Trip Report BVI Cruise/St. John [Re: GoVols] #75133
11/17/2015 09:52 AM
11/17/2015 09:52 AM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 2,041
Upstate New York
TomC Offline
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TomC  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 2,041
Upstate New York
You posted your report in the correct forum. Carol or Eric will move it to the Trip Report Archives.

Thanks for your report!


Tom

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